Many thousands of miles since September
Discussion
The last few months have been hectic for travel with a lot of it concentrated in the period.
TRIP 1
Spent September wandering around Switzerland/Germany/Italy , much of it in a rented Volvo which I have posted more extensively before I think. However, the Swiss Alps remain superb to drive and luckily completed the travel just before the snow hit.
The Stelvio had benign weather when I drove it, and one week later it closed.
I had arranged for my 992RS to be shipped to Munich from Canada for a Porsche event (International Porsche Days) in Zell am See that I greatly enjoy and have attended before. The schedule was wonderful with lots to do and great driving.
Stopped by Berchtesgaden on my way to Zell. Basically Hitler’s summer headquarters . There is a well-hidden building there I was curious about. Thus was the summer quarters of the Reich Chancellery when Hitler was there, and astonishingly it still stands unmodified. The Reich Eagle is still over the door though the swastika had been carefully excised. Sobering to think of the decisions what flowed through there.
Then, luck ran out. The weather deteriorated and it began to snow at the first evening’s dinner. The RS is on PS Cup 2s and these tires are undeceivable in cold and snow. The temperatures fell to below freezing at night and the Gro?glocnker trip was cancelled, followed by some other events being scrapped. I felt for sorry for the organizers who do a brilliant job and look forward to being back at another event ( it occurs every two years). We did win the Concours , probably because we had come from so far
….
I was dreading the planned trip up to the Nürburgring as similar weather would have scratched that too. However as I drove up the autobahn the weather slowly improved and by the time I got to Nürburg is was mild, sunny and dry.
The 992 is the most impractical car I own, with no luggage space and unadjustable seats. As a road car it it really a solo experience if you are overnighting. Luggage piled on the passenger seat was the only way to go.
?However, on a track the grip and handling are in another league. I have not driven any of the cars that are its peers such as various McLarens or Ferraris so I cannot compare, but this is my fourth RS and it is simply brilliant. A much more competent car than I am a driver.
Misha Charoudin is a very well known blogger at the Ring and I dropped in to see him. He drives the track every day and took McG Jnr for a few laps in the car.
I have stayed in the same hotel for many years so it was good to be back ( the am Tiergarten) which is where the Pistenklause restaurant is sited.
After the Ring I did a little detour to the new National Motor Museum, basically an amazing private collection open to the public which has some real rarities such as this Bucciali.
Near Frankfurt stopped to see a Tadao Ando building housing a museum of sculpture. On the way back I was stopped by a police car to say there was an APB out on me from the autobahn polizei. I was surprised as I keep generally to autobahn rules.
The problem was my registration plate from Canada which reads NRDSCHLF They could not get their heads around how a German acronym would appear on a Canadian plate. They did a thorough examination the papers which were all in order, lots of smiles, and let me go.
Thus has hapened to me before. I had another car at the Ring in 2008 with the plate NRBRGRNG which also stumped the polizei , but also turned out to be with some pretty good cops ( I did ask them to do a fake arrest and have a never-to-be-published photo of myself in cuffs with two grinning polizei!)
The car was collected in Frankfurt for its return to Canada. Running at the Ring certainly increases the chances of some damage of course. I once crashed a car here ( a new E63 M6 BMW) due to my own incompetence so I have a lot more respect for the track now than I did then.
TRIP 2
The autumn usually means a maintenance trip to Arizona to get the winter cars up and running and whatever household maintenance is needed. The summers there are brutal and they had 100 days are over 100 degrees and a drought. This can do a lot of damage to cars..Batteries do not last and tires can flatspot, wiring looms can dry out and crack, and in the case of the 20 year old SL500, some of the buttons on the dash melted! Flew down to AZ , not sure what I would find. Neither the SL nor the Jeep would start, but a call to AAA got a truck here quickly.
The Jeep battery was shot, but the Mercedes was fine after a boost. After that a shakedown drive showed no issues apart from the Mercedes needing a service. It will benefit from a replacement of the ABC suspension fluid which is allegedly sealed for life; however it is a known weak spot on this car so I going in for preventive maintenance this week.
As usual I took the Jeep out in the country to check it out. It is easy to forgot what a vast landscape this is..you can see another Jeep here on the road opposite:
Returning to Canada the autumn colours had begun to show, and soon it was Halloween time.
Trip 3
However, I had a meeting in Vancouver and flew out for a few days.
On the way back over the Rockies I started to look at my air miles for the year and noticed that I was within distance to get top tier status on Air Canada. This makes a huge different to the value of points, upgrades and so on. OH flies to Japan regularly and a business class flight is basically free if you have top tier status.
SO, I decided to fly to Heathrow and back. I have done this before is similar circumstances. I would have simply taken the flight right back but the fare structure needed my to stay overnight.
Landing back in Toronto I noticed the Antonov that has been parked here since the beginning of the Ukraine war and as a lot of claims against it. Pity is wasn’t the giant 225 that was destroyed early in the war.
TRIP 4
Jumped on the flight to Heathrow ,slept, showered in the arrivals lounge and had a proper British breakfast , headed for the airport Hilton and got an early checkin. As I had planned never left the airport.
I noticed a parked Concorde when we were landing. One of my few regrets in life is that I never got to fly in one. I have been inside one on the ground, (was surprised by how small they are) , but would love to have done a three hour flight to New York.
TRIP 5
Down to see some friends in Washington DC, which is a town I like.
Stayed in a nice hotel called the Jefferson, small and very comfortable with a nice view from the room.
Good restaurants, not high rise, and great museums. I have been to most of them over the years, but had never visited the African-American museum which is an imposing modern building near the Washington Monument. It does a good job in describing the beginning of slavery through the end, but it less successful in dealing with the transition to the present.
I am a big fan of blues music, but the whole music section is more of a list of photos and brief bios of famous musicians. Still, they do have Chuck Berry’s Cadillac.
Saw an excellent little exhibition of Ralph Steadman (who is British) and did amazing cartoons for Rolling Stone, Private Eye and did the illustrations for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas among other things
Trip 6….the long drive
It was later than usual to drive to AZ. Mid December, and the weather in Canada was getting wintry. The dog was getting anxious to go.
TRIP 1
Spent September wandering around Switzerland/Germany/Italy , much of it in a rented Volvo which I have posted more extensively before I think. However, the Swiss Alps remain superb to drive and luckily completed the travel just before the snow hit.
The Stelvio had benign weather when I drove it, and one week later it closed.
I had arranged for my 992RS to be shipped to Munich from Canada for a Porsche event (International Porsche Days) in Zell am See that I greatly enjoy and have attended before. The schedule was wonderful with lots to do and great driving.
Stopped by Berchtesgaden on my way to Zell. Basically Hitler’s summer headquarters . There is a well-hidden building there I was curious about. Thus was the summer quarters of the Reich Chancellery when Hitler was there, and astonishingly it still stands unmodified. The Reich Eagle is still over the door though the swastika had been carefully excised. Sobering to think of the decisions what flowed through there.
Then, luck ran out. The weather deteriorated and it began to snow at the first evening’s dinner. The RS is on PS Cup 2s and these tires are undeceivable in cold and snow. The temperatures fell to below freezing at night and the Gro?glocnker trip was cancelled, followed by some other events being scrapped. I felt for sorry for the organizers who do a brilliant job and look forward to being back at another event ( it occurs every two years). We did win the Concours , probably because we had come from so far
….I was dreading the planned trip up to the Nürburgring as similar weather would have scratched that too. However as I drove up the autobahn the weather slowly improved and by the time I got to Nürburg is was mild, sunny and dry.
The 992 is the most impractical car I own, with no luggage space and unadjustable seats. As a road car it it really a solo experience if you are overnighting. Luggage piled on the passenger seat was the only way to go.
?However, on a track the grip and handling are in another league. I have not driven any of the cars that are its peers such as various McLarens or Ferraris so I cannot compare, but this is my fourth RS and it is simply brilliant. A much more competent car than I am a driver.
Misha Charoudin is a very well known blogger at the Ring and I dropped in to see him. He drives the track every day and took McG Jnr for a few laps in the car.
I have stayed in the same hotel for many years so it was good to be back ( the am Tiergarten) which is where the Pistenklause restaurant is sited.
After the Ring I did a little detour to the new National Motor Museum, basically an amazing private collection open to the public which has some real rarities such as this Bucciali.
Near Frankfurt stopped to see a Tadao Ando building housing a museum of sculpture. On the way back I was stopped by a police car to say there was an APB out on me from the autobahn polizei. I was surprised as I keep generally to autobahn rules.
The problem was my registration plate from Canada which reads NRDSCHLF They could not get their heads around how a German acronym would appear on a Canadian plate. They did a thorough examination the papers which were all in order, lots of smiles, and let me go.
Thus has hapened to me before. I had another car at the Ring in 2008 with the plate NRBRGRNG which also stumped the polizei , but also turned out to be with some pretty good cops ( I did ask them to do a fake arrest and have a never-to-be-published photo of myself in cuffs with two grinning polizei!)
The car was collected in Frankfurt for its return to Canada. Running at the Ring certainly increases the chances of some damage of course. I once crashed a car here ( a new E63 M6 BMW) due to my own incompetence so I have a lot more respect for the track now than I did then.
TRIP 2
The autumn usually means a maintenance trip to Arizona to get the winter cars up and running and whatever household maintenance is needed. The summers there are brutal and they had 100 days are over 100 degrees and a drought. This can do a lot of damage to cars..Batteries do not last and tires can flatspot, wiring looms can dry out and crack, and in the case of the 20 year old SL500, some of the buttons on the dash melted! Flew down to AZ , not sure what I would find. Neither the SL nor the Jeep would start, but a call to AAA got a truck here quickly.
The Jeep battery was shot, but the Mercedes was fine after a boost. After that a shakedown drive showed no issues apart from the Mercedes needing a service. It will benefit from a replacement of the ABC suspension fluid which is allegedly sealed for life; however it is a known weak spot on this car so I going in for preventive maintenance this week.
As usual I took the Jeep out in the country to check it out. It is easy to forgot what a vast landscape this is..you can see another Jeep here on the road opposite:
Returning to Canada the autumn colours had begun to show, and soon it was Halloween time.
Trip 3
However, I had a meeting in Vancouver and flew out for a few days.
On the way back over the Rockies I started to look at my air miles for the year and noticed that I was within distance to get top tier status on Air Canada. This makes a huge different to the value of points, upgrades and so on. OH flies to Japan regularly and a business class flight is basically free if you have top tier status.
SO, I decided to fly to Heathrow and back. I have done this before is similar circumstances. I would have simply taken the flight right back but the fare structure needed my to stay overnight.
Landing back in Toronto I noticed the Antonov that has been parked here since the beginning of the Ukraine war and as a lot of claims against it. Pity is wasn’t the giant 225 that was destroyed early in the war.
TRIP 4
Jumped on the flight to Heathrow ,slept, showered in the arrivals lounge and had a proper British breakfast , headed for the airport Hilton and got an early checkin. As I had planned never left the airport.
I noticed a parked Concorde when we were landing. One of my few regrets in life is that I never got to fly in one. I have been inside one on the ground, (was surprised by how small they are) , but would love to have done a three hour flight to New York.
TRIP 5
Down to see some friends in Washington DC, which is a town I like.
Stayed in a nice hotel called the Jefferson, small and very comfortable with a nice view from the room.
Good restaurants, not high rise, and great museums. I have been to most of them over the years, but had never visited the African-American museum which is an imposing modern building near the Washington Monument. It does a good job in describing the beginning of slavery through the end, but it less successful in dealing with the transition to the present.
I am a big fan of blues music, but the whole music section is more of a list of photos and brief bios of famous musicians. Still, they do have Chuck Berry’s Cadillac.
Saw an excellent little exhibition of Ralph Steadman (who is British) and did amazing cartoons for Rolling Stone, Private Eye and did the illustrations for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas among other things
Trip 6….the long drive
It was later than usual to drive to AZ. Mid December, and the weather in Canada was getting wintry. The dog was getting anxious to go.
Edited by RDMcG on Wednesday 1st January 23:51
I had mixed feeling about the trip as it will surely be a one way trip for the Great Dane, a faithful companion in her 12th years. She is visibly failing and will not be with us for long. However, she hates the winter in Canada and loves the warm days in AZ. Her rear haunches are atrophying and she can no longer jump into the back the Cayenne or the Jeep, so she travels in the back seat of the Panamera which is much lower. She still needs a little space to take a run at it.
Day 1
There is a lot of weather risk on this trip and I have driven through blinding snow, tornadoes, torrential rain, road closures and just about everything else.
This time was a dream. Good weather all the way through Michigan, illiinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and into Arizona, Because of the weather risk I had not scheduled any major detours but would see what might turn up.
Day 1 was as usual a dawn departure, a stop for some Red Bull and a good long first segment.
Waze is an incredibly useful thing and generally does a good job in warning about speed traps. However, it will not catch a police cruiser quickly entering the highway behind you. I saw him as he entered but he had me on radar.
Not a a big deal -a businesslike cop who issued me the citation and told be how to pay it ($160 for 15 over the limit). All doable on line which I did ASAP.
On the road I generally use Hampton Inns or the like which are convenient to the highway, clean and usually modern. However the taste in corridor carpets might cause some kind of seizure. Here are two I experienced on the trip. Stayed in Central Illinois .
Day 2 and 3 weather continued pleasant and hauled doing through Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.
I noticed the red reason for the Statua of Liberty in Oklahoma:
Did little sightseeing though made a brief stop outside the National Route 66 museum in Oklahoma and the gorgeous U Drop Inn in Shamrock Texas which I have not seen in years which has a operating traditional diner.
I briefly drove through McLean another place that was devastated when Route 66 closed and it was bypassed by the highway. Now it is decaying and I suspect it will ultimately be a ghost town which is quite sad.
And so ,on to Amarillo ,the largest town in the Panhandle. Famous for the 72oz steak and the Cadillac Ranch which I have posted about previously. 66 actual runs north of those attractions so had lunch at a Mexican restaurant on the real route. ??I am sure all of you students of English have read the poem Ozymandias by Shelley… i ‘ Two vast and trunkless legs of stone…”
Years ago in visited the Bug ranch in Conwy TX on route 66. This was a small installation of VW bug shells mirroring the Cadillac Ranch. However, there was a dispute with the land owner and he had to evacuate.
Now there is a new and much bigger installation under construction in Amarillo:
The has been ghost town called Glenrio on 66 right on the Tx/NM border straddling the state line. In the last few years NM has legalized Cannabis and Texas has not. I was amused to see a dispensary right at the state line on the NM side of the former ghost town.
The next stop was in Tucumcari NM which has the most dog-friendly motel on this journey. The Roadrunner Lodge is a sixties place and welcomes dogs with a little note for the dog, dogbowls and treats. The Dane loves the place.
Tucumcari is is one of the better preserved Route 66 towns with some very good retro motels.
The original railroad station no longer operates but it is lovingly preserved. Must have been great to see the big steam trains unload their passengers here.
Day 1
There is a lot of weather risk on this trip and I have driven through blinding snow, tornadoes, torrential rain, road closures and just about everything else.
This time was a dream. Good weather all the way through Michigan, illiinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and into Arizona, Because of the weather risk I had not scheduled any major detours but would see what might turn up.
Day 1 was as usual a dawn departure, a stop for some Red Bull and a good long first segment.
Waze is an incredibly useful thing and generally does a good job in warning about speed traps. However, it will not catch a police cruiser quickly entering the highway behind you. I saw him as he entered but he had me on radar.
Not a a big deal -a businesslike cop who issued me the citation and told be how to pay it ($160 for 15 over the limit). All doable on line which I did ASAP.
On the road I generally use Hampton Inns or the like which are convenient to the highway, clean and usually modern. However the taste in corridor carpets might cause some kind of seizure. Here are two I experienced on the trip. Stayed in Central Illinois .
Day 2 and 3 weather continued pleasant and hauled doing through Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.
I noticed the red reason for the Statua of Liberty in Oklahoma:
Did little sightseeing though made a brief stop outside the National Route 66 museum in Oklahoma and the gorgeous U Drop Inn in Shamrock Texas which I have not seen in years which has a operating traditional diner.
I briefly drove through McLean another place that was devastated when Route 66 closed and it was bypassed by the highway. Now it is decaying and I suspect it will ultimately be a ghost town which is quite sad.
And so ,on to Amarillo ,the largest town in the Panhandle. Famous for the 72oz steak and the Cadillac Ranch which I have posted about previously. 66 actual runs north of those attractions so had lunch at a Mexican restaurant on the real route. ??I am sure all of you students of English have read the poem Ozymandias by Shelley… i ‘ Two vast and trunkless legs of stone…”
Years ago in visited the Bug ranch in Conwy TX on route 66. This was a small installation of VW bug shells mirroring the Cadillac Ranch. However, there was a dispute with the land owner and he had to evacuate.
Now there is a new and much bigger installation under construction in Amarillo:
The has been ghost town called Glenrio on 66 right on the Tx/NM border straddling the state line. In the last few years NM has legalized Cannabis and Texas has not. I was amused to see a dispensary right at the state line on the NM side of the former ghost town.
The next stop was in Tucumcari NM which has the most dog-friendly motel on this journey. The Roadrunner Lodge is a sixties place and welcomes dogs with a little note for the dog, dogbowls and treats. The Dane loves the place.
Tucumcari is is one of the better preserved Route 66 towns with some very good retro motels.
The original railroad station no longer operates but it is lovingly preserved. Must have been great to see the big steam trains unload their passengers here.
Edited by RDMcG on Thursday 2nd January 00:27
Still,, the dog was ready to roll……
Day 4
Arrived, 3840km driven.
..and into the house in Scottsdale there the temperature was a lot more pleasant than the October trip. The car was absolutely filthy but everything in the house was operational and the do immediately sought her bed in the sunlight in the back yard.
Sunsets even in the back yard are very pleasant.
……Day 4
Arrived, 3840km driven.
..and into the house in Scottsdale there the temperature was a lot more pleasant than the October trip. The car was absolutely filthy but everything in the house was operational and the do immediately sought her bed in the sunlight in the back yard.
Sunsets even in the back yard are very pleasant.
nd so few days of R&R, grocery replenishment and the like. It is an easygoing place and you feel none of the overt political extremism you read about in the papers. Fundamentally libertarians down here.
Took a local Jeep run and came across a number of juvenile Golden Eagles
There is always some kind of cars and coffee each weekend so took a stroll...........
Took a local Jeep run and came across a number of juvenile Golden Eagles
There is always some kind of cars and coffee each weekend so took a stroll...........
TRIP 6
San Diego is only about 5 hours drive, so went to visit some friends not too far from there. The West Coast always feels different, the tides look different, and down near the border there are plenty of little seaside towns.
The driving is excellent. Very pleasant to sit on a terrace overlooking the Pacific.
Stayed in Del Mar near San Diego. Hotel was extremely dog friendly and supplied a Great Dane sized bed, a toy, bowls and so on. The dog was very,very happy and gave it two paws up.
Of course CA is all about the coast, and despite being overcast it is quite a dramatic place:
San Diego is only about 5 hours drive, so went to visit some friends not too far from there. The West Coast always feels different, the tides look different, and down near the border there are plenty of little seaside towns.
The driving is excellent. Very pleasant to sit on a terrace overlooking the Pacific.
Stayed in Del Mar near San Diego. Hotel was extremely dog friendly and supplied a Great Dane sized bed, a toy, bowls and so on. The dog was very,very happy and gave it two paws up.
Of course CA is all about the coast, and despite being overcast it is quite a dramatic place:
Touring the area there is a magnificent military cemetery which is impeccably maintained -60,000 people lie there.
. The coastline is a surfer’s paradise with high waves. T was a cloudy period but temperature were very mild, and the seafood was very good.
The return trip was a little rapid for sightseeing, and soon we were back in AZ
. The coastline is a surfer’s paradise with high waves. T was a cloudy period but temperature were very mild, and the seafood was very good.
The return trip was a little rapid for sightseeing, and soon we were back in AZ
Drove out on some backroads yesterday to exercise the Mercedes....and there is always something new. This is 30 mins from the house:
At 76 I do not drive as I once did with 18 hour stints or the like but I have no difficulty with the present distances. Sadly I think the dog will not hear for much longer which is inevitable, but still will be a sad moment for me. Still, there will be other adventures.
At 76 I do not drive as I once did with 18 hour stints or the like but I have no difficulty with the present distances. Sadly I think the dog will not hear for much longer which is inevitable, but still will be a sad moment for me. Still, there will be other adventures.
Guyr said:
Much appreciated, always an interesting read and a guide to add a few places to visit on future US trips.
There are always offbeat places just about anywhere in the world to find. I usually have a route in mind but just as often I will take some minor road to see something unusualFascinating - thank you... I always really enjoy seeing pics from trips I will never make to places I am never going to visit.
The cemetery is a bit gob-smacking, I don't think we have anything like that in the UK.
I bought my first Porsche this year (991) and I'm always interested to hear your views on 911's.
The cemetery is a bit gob-smacking, I don't think we have anything like that in the UK.
I bought my first Porsche this year (991) and I'm always interested to hear your views on 911's.
NDA said:
Fascinating - thank you... I always really enjoy seeing pics from trips I will never make to places I am never going to visit.
The cemetery is a bit gob-smacking, I don't think we have anything like that in the UK.
I bought my first Porsche this year (991) and I'm always interested to hear your views on 911's.
Congrats on the car! I do enjoy 911s and have a history with them. I think the days of Ring records are numbered though- there is a Tesla coupe coming that will be one of the early game changers but I am too old to move from a lifetime of ICE cars and years of Porsche engineering . I suspect I would see the world very differently if I were 20 years old;)The cemetery is a bit gob-smacking, I don't think we have anything like that in the UK.
I bought my first Porsche this year (991) and I'm always interested to hear your views on 911's.
Thanks for your posts, I find them really entertaining!
I also read your moving post about loosing your dog, I also have a dog who is getting older, I hope to do a post similar to yours upon his passing, which will be very sad however inevitable! Just hope I've got a few more years yet with the old boy!
I also read your moving post about loosing your dog, I also have a dog who is getting older, I hope to do a post similar to yours upon his passing, which will be very sad however inevitable! Just hope I've got a few more years yet with the old boy!
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